Other People's Money on DVD on 2/15/05
#1
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Other People's Money on DVD on 2/15/05
I was really excited to see 'Other People's Money' coming out on DVD on 2/15/05. I placed my order immediately. It's pretty much bare bones, but the movie was a fun guilty pleasure. Danny Devito was terrific in it.
#3
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I think this is the most intelligent film I've ever seen dealing with business and economics. I consider it a minor masterpiece.
The film was vastly underrated by critics, mostly because many misunderstood it. Everyone is so used to seeing the wheeler dealer businessperson as a villain (see Gordon Gekko) that many didn't understand that Larry was not a villain. In fact, one of the great strengths of the film is that there is no villain (the Dean Jones character comes the closest but he really isn't either); Larry and Jorgy are both acting in what they see as not only their own self-interest but in the interest of society as well. But the fact that neither has bad intentions does not alter the fact that only one of them is actually right.
Larry's speech to the stockholders is, I think, one of the highlights of modern cinema. He makes Gekko's speech look feeble. Not to mention OPM recognizes the truth in what Larry says while WS wants only to sneer at Gekko's speech.
Some criticize the ending that was tacked onto the movie that was not in the original play and I understand, while not entirely agreeing with the criticism. Yes, what happens is, if judged realistically, probably too little or at least too late. But if it had been done earlier it would certainly have been quite possible. However, if it had been done earlier it would have undermined showing the points made in the rest of the film. So I can accept it as another lesson about what is possible in our (relatively) free market system.
I hope I didn't make this film sound like a dry economics lesson. While it does impart economic truths, it is also funny (although not really a comedy), has great drama in the battle for the company and is oddly romantic in the unlikely relationship between Larry and Jorgy's lawyer stepdaughter. Now that's a movie worth seeing!
The film was vastly underrated by critics, mostly because many misunderstood it. Everyone is so used to seeing the wheeler dealer businessperson as a villain (see Gordon Gekko) that many didn't understand that Larry was not a villain. In fact, one of the great strengths of the film is that there is no villain (the Dean Jones character comes the closest but he really isn't either); Larry and Jorgy are both acting in what they see as not only their own self-interest but in the interest of society as well. But the fact that neither has bad intentions does not alter the fact that only one of them is actually right.
Larry's speech to the stockholders is, I think, one of the highlights of modern cinema. He makes Gekko's speech look feeble. Not to mention OPM recognizes the truth in what Larry says while WS wants only to sneer at Gekko's speech.
Some criticize the ending that was tacked onto the movie that was not in the original play and I understand, while not entirely agreeing with the criticism. Yes, what happens is, if judged realistically, probably too little or at least too late. But if it had been done earlier it would certainly have been quite possible. However, if it had been done earlier it would have undermined showing the points made in the rest of the film. So I can accept it as another lesson about what is possible in our (relatively) free market system.
I hope I didn't make this film sound like a dry economics lesson. While it does impart economic truths, it is also funny (although not really a comedy), has great drama in the battle for the company and is oddly romantic in the unlikely relationship between Larry and Jorgy's lawyer stepdaughter. Now that's a movie worth seeing!
#4
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Yes, an excellent film. Really enjoyed Penelope Ann Miller's performance as well, and not just because she's got great gams. Will definitely be picking this one up even though I already own it on LaserDisc.